What We Do

Sustainable Food Movement in Greece is a social enterprise registered in Athens, Greece in July 2017 aiming to tackle food waste and promote sustainable development in the Greek Culinary Arts Industry. We believe that environmental awareness, education, expertise, specialization and digital innovation are the only keys to progress and success.

The Problem

Greece is attracting more than 22.5 million people each year because it’s an attraction for international visitors mainly for the Mediterranean climate and the great gastronomy. But the growth of the Greek tourism industry through the last decades, has added an increasing impact on the environment. Waste generation in the southern Mediterranean region has grown approximately 15% over the last decade. In many regions in Greece, restaurants, resorts and hotel units, produce more solid waste than local residents. There is lack of space and of adequate waste management infrastructure and there is limited information to the stakeholders involved in culinary and touristic activities about the need for integrated waste management and an outlined step by step plan towards to a zero waste strategy in the hospitality industry. Food wastage (food waste) is an issue that affects everyone. It is of particular concern for businesses in the hospitality and food service sector, which in Greece dispose of an estimated 300,000 tons of wasted food every year.

The Solution

It has been estimated that 75% of hospitality businesses’ (hotels and restaurants) environmental impacts are directly associated with excessive consumption. This is wasteful in terms of resources and it increases operational costs unnecessarily. It is economically beneficial for these businesses to pursue "green practices" in three areas, namely energy saving, water conservation and recycling and waste management.

Environmental improvement is an increasingly important factor for businesses to stay competitive and manage their supply chain risks. Increasing resource scarcity; rising raw material, transport and utility costs; and pressure from legislation, customers and society to reduce environmental damage, are combining to drive businesses to improve their performance and become sustainable.

The challenges for the Greek hospitality and culinary sector is to creatively adopt instruments for sustainable development and waste management and become increasingly effective, maximizing the value of the resources used. This requires changing the mindset around food.